Lucy Devine
The family of a man who died in a Tesla vehicle are suing Elon Musk's company after he was allegedly trapped in an inferno.
Michael Sheehan, 47, became trapped inside his Cybertruck when the battery burst into flames. His family allege that the 5,000 degree inferno caused his bones to disintegrate.
Now, a wrongful death lawsuit has been filed by Sheehan's family following his tragic passing.
The incident took place when Sheehan's vehicle swerved off the road and hit a culvert in Texas.
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It's reported that the vehicle’s ‘hyper volatile’ battery system went into ‘thermal runaway’, which is a chain reaction of short-circuits ultimately resulting in uncontrollable temperature escalation.
“He was eight inches shorter in length than he was before he burned,” attorney S. Scott West told The Independent. “That’s thermal fracture.”
The suit claims the Tesla vehicle was ‘defectively designed’ and should not have ‘trapped’ Sheehan inside.
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It also claims that the truck's electronic doors are difficult to open once the power is cut, adding that the manual handles are 'unreasonably difficult to locate in an emergency'.
“This was a single-vehicle crash,” the petition states.
“The crash forces were survivable… except for the fire, ergonomic shortcomings, and deficient crashworthiness.”
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West added: “It is the most excruciating and longest torture of any death. Whether it's steam or fire or electrical, the nerves are literally exposed to everything.
“It's horrific. If you've ever been to a hospital burn unit, you'll hear patients begging the doctors to let them die because the pain is so bad.
“Michael was a Mensa-level guy, very, very smart.
“But when Tesla delivered this [Cybertruck] to him, the instructions they gave him were woefully inadequate to handle a situation like this.”
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In an obituary for Sheehan, he is remembered as a 'brilliant' man.
It reads: "Michael was absolutely brilliant, and admired by many. He had an amazing career in healthcare, progressing from a RN, to RNFA, and FNP. The majority of his career was the care of patients in Aortic Surgery and Aortic Reconstruction, Urology, and Cardiothoracic Transplantation and Circulatory Support.
"He was an excellent cook. He loved cooking for his wife and friends. There wasn’t a recipe he wouldn’t attempt, and he became quite a food critic. He had a love for animals, and they were drawn to his gentle spirit.
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"Michael enjoyed hiking, snow boarding, being around and in water, boating, camping, and Zombie movies.
"Michael was an amazing husband, son, sibling and friend. Words cannot express the deep sorrow and devastation we feel in losing him."
UNILAD has contacted Tesla for comment.